


Flying away, on a wing and a prayer

by TheDameintheRaininMaine



Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, power experimentation, references to 80's TV, yet another song title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 16:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8064073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDameintheRaininMaine/pseuds/TheDameintheRaininMaine
Summary: After Egypt, Jean's powers have grown exponentially. So she decides to have some fun for once.





	

Jean knew the ins and outs of the power that came with her telepathy. The embarrassment that came with knowing things she shouldn't. The ability to take control of a situation that made you uncomfortable because of how easy it was to guess how the other person was going to react. 

The professor had told her a thing or two about her maybe someday gaining the ability to alter other people's thoughts, remove or add to them like editing a document. This frightened her, the idea of having that kind of power over another person. 

Her telekinesis was another story. Before Egypt, every use of it had taken effort and was very deliberate. To catch her falling books she had to concentrate one grabbing each one and bringing them back to just the right place. 

Now she could often move things with barely a second glance. 

The first time it had happened, her and Jubilee had gone into town to go shopping. They had been walking along the sidewalk eating sundaes and Jubilee had caught her foot on a crack and tripped, sending her cup rolling out in the direction of the street. 

Jean caught and floated it back into Jubilee's hand before she even finished catching herself and standing back up. The whipped cream and cherry were still perfect. 

After that day, she starts experimenting. 

Marbles were good to start. They rolled everywhere when she dropped the bag, but she managed to gather them back up and into the bag again in under ten seconds.

Glitter is harder. Jubilee had given her an odd glance when she'd asked for the bag of it she had for an art project, and called her insane when Jean covered her eyes and asked her to throw it. 

The room had sparkled like magic when the colored dust swirled and danced it's way back into the package.

Experimenting on herself takes a little more self awareness, but only a little practice before she could fix her hair without a mirror or touching any of it, not a single strand out of place. It seems such a small thing. But in less than a year she's gone from a girl scared of what was inside her to a saver of the world. She could have some fun now if she wanted. 

One afternoon, she drags Scott out to the archery range because she wants to try to see how precise she can aim his optic blasts by moving his glasses. 

The noise she lets out when they manage a perfect series of hits inside each ascending ring on the target is somewhat between a whoop and a howl. 

"How come you're so excited by this?" Scott asks, fixing his glasses back into place. "You're not usually enthused by what some would call extra school work".

Jean twists her hands together, thinking. 

"It's a couple of things. The power alone- it's a huge rush. Nothing was as easy before as everything seems now. And it's not just the power, the control too...for once in a long time it seems like I might actually have a grasp on it all". 

Suddenly, spotting a tree beside the range, she gets another idea. 

"Besides" she says, "Cartoons always told me I could do this". 

She walks to the trunk of the tree, bracing one hand on the lowest branch as she starts to climb. She was never much of a tree climber as a child, but the training they've all been going through since Egypt has left her more than fit for this. 

She's not all the way up, but on the highest branch that will hold her weight unassisted. She gestures at Scott to get his attention, before sticking her arms out and skipping down from the branch. 

Scott knows better, he knows there's really no reason she won't be fine, he's seen her do this, back in Egypt. He still jumps when she leaves the branch before catching himself. 

Jean giggles. Flying, or- floating would be more accurate, is as great as she had always imagined. The sun is beating on her face, the wind blowing her hair, but she's steady, totally in control of her body. Before stepping down back towards the ground and letting go of her hold on herself, she twirls, glee spilling out from deep in her gut. 

"Believe it or not, I'm walking on air". 

"I hated that show". 

Jean snorts. "Yeah, everyone loves super powers when you get them from an alien costume, but when we're real, suddenly we're freaks". 

She reaches out and grabs both his hands. 

"Come on," she says, pulling him along, "I want to see if I can do it for both of us". 

"Wha-what?" Scott stutters, but he still follows her up the trunk, even though his steps are far more unsteady. 

"Scott, I rebuilt half of the school, I think I can handle the weight of two teenagers".

When she steps off again, she's still holding one of his hands. He hesitates. 

"Scott, we have robots in the basement that shoot at us on a weekly basis, you can handle this". 

And then quieter. 

"Come on, trust me. I won't let you fall". 

He hesitates longer, but eventually, with great deliberation, he steps out onto the invisible air. 

He doesn't seem to think it's quite as great as she does, but when they touch back down on the ground, he's smiling. Something that Jean hasn't seen him do a lot of since his brother died. Worth it. The glee she's feeling now is only partially from the floating. 

"See?"

"I think I'd rather keep both my feet on the ground". 

Jean shrugs. 

"Fine by me".

Then something catches her eye. 

"I'm going to go try from one of the dorm windows now".


End file.
